Vampire science: How YOUNG BLOOD could help reverse the ageing process, claim scientists

OLDER people with Alzheimer’s disease could one day have their brains “recharged” by pumping young blood into them.

The blood of the youth could have positive effects on halting brain deterioration [GETTY]

A team of American researchers has been studying the effects of such experiments on mice.

They found that an infusion of young blood rejuvenates and restores mental capabilities in the brains of older mice.

Dr Tony Wyss-Coray, the senior author of the study and a professor of neurological sciences, said: “It was as if these old brains were recharged by young blood.”

The team aims to launch a ­clinical trial within months to find out whether the technique would benefit Alzheimer’s patients.

We’ve shown that at least some age-related impairments in brain function are reversible. They’re not final

Dr Saul Villeda, researcher

It could lead to a new way to boost the brain as it ages and even lead to therapeutic approaches for treating dementia.

The disease is incurable and current treatments deal with the symptoms for a limited period.

In the study, published online in Nature Medicine, the researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine used sophisticated techniques to pin down numerous important molecular and other changes in the brains of old mice given the blood of young mice.

They also compared how the older mice performed on standard laboratory tests of spatial memory after they had received infusions of plasma – the cell-free part of blood – from young mice, or no plasma at all.

The study’s lead author, Dr Saul Villeda, said: “We’ve shown that at least some age-related impairments in brain function are reversible. They’re not final.”

Dr Wyss-Coray has co-founded a biotechnology company called Alkahest to explore the ­therapeutic implications of the study’s findings.

It is currently putting in place a Phase I clinical trial in which up to 20 Alzheimer’s patients would get infusions of “young” plasma and be monitored closely by family members and doctors to see if they showed any improvement.

However, the team cautioned that any potential treatment was “several years” away.

Dr Wyss-Coray said: “We’re hoping to get funding to test whether giving young people’s plasma to Alzheimer’s patients has any effect on cognitive function, as measured by standard batteries of neuropsychological assessments.

“We’ll also want to use non-invasive brain-imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging to test for increases in neural activity.”

Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This technically complex study looks at the effects of exposing old mice to blood-borne factors from young mice on age-related cognitive decline.

“Although the treatments tested here rejuvenate certain aspects of learning and memory in mice these studies are of unknown significance to humans.

“This research, while very interesting, does not investigate the type of cognitive impairment that is seen in Alzheimer’s disease, which is not an inevitable consequence of ageing.

“Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around half a million people in the UK, and we urgently need treatments capable of stopping the disease in its tracks.

“Continued investment in research is crucial if we are to find a treatment that could make a real difference to people’s lives.”